Display photo-composing



Feb. 28, 1961 G. J. H. SAUSELE DISPLAY PHOTO-COMPOSING Filed Jan. 12, 1959 INVENTOR BY 7525, (:4 W4, r-%

ATTORNEY 5 'United States Patent DISPLAY PHOTO-COMPOSING George J. H. Sausele, New Providence, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Whitin-ATF Corp., Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,428

2 Claims. (Cl. 95-85) This invention relates to the art of photo-composing and more particularly to the photographic reproduction of display typography such as employed in headlines, advertising copy, and the like.

The general object of the invention is the provision of novel and improved methods, articles, and apparatus for the production of display typography at a much lower cost than in the case of methods heretofore employed, and with just as great clarity and accuracy of delineation, if not greater. A Wider flexibility or versatility of composition is afforded than in many prior systems, curved and diagonal lines of typography being readily effected as well as random positioning of characters in no rigid pattern, such as would be curtailed or prevented by the use of a stick, chase, or other type or matrix confining means.

The present novel system of display typography complements perfectly photo-composing systems for solid text composition such as the one disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 686,233, filed September 25, 1957.

One of the principal features of the invention is the saving in costs involved in the production of the photomatrices employed. Prior systems of photo-composing of display type have involved, on the one hand, the use of character bearing elements of cardboard, wooden blocks, sheet metal, or other non-durable materials; or, on the other hand, quite expensive elements involving for example, combinations of transparent and opaque plastics. By the use of conventional hot-metal cast type, made of the usual type metal alloy as a basis, I have been able to more than halve the cost of the solid plastic block character units or matrices employed in certain known systerns, and the increased durability and resistance to wear insures further economies in the use of my novel system. Also, the use of conventional type as a basis, affords the broadest possible library of type faces for use in the novel display system.

The invention in its preferred embodiment contemplates the provision of display type elements or matrices bearing letter press characters of the widest possible variety of type faces, each having as a basic structure an ordinary cast type, the operative end of which has been plated with a hard metal coating preferably of a relatively dull luster, and then the depressed or relieved portions at that end of the body filled with a plastic mass having a dull black surface, the type face and the surface of the black plastic background being flush, the type elements all being, of course, of standard uniform height.

It has been found that a chromium coating, electrodeposited and not buffed or polished, is superbly adapted for the proper diffuse reflection of light for photo-composing purposes. The plastic used may be any type of known plastic composition which contains a black dye pigment or coloring agent and which has a surface of rather dull luster. Such plastic should be durable so that it will not chip or scar and these qualifications are inherent in a wide variety of plastic materials of many different chemical compositions.

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The matrices are then arranged face upward in the desired composition arrangement on a fiat horizontal surface. Thus, any straight, angular, curved, or sinuous line of text may be formed, or any random placement of char acters effected as desired to provide the display, whether for advertising or any other form of composition; and all without the necessity of employing sticks or clamps of any kind. The camera is of course suspended in inverted position above the layout and the composed display photographed in any degree of enlargement or reduction desired.

Of course, since ordinary type is used as a basis for the photographable matrices provided by the present invention, the elements will have to be arranged in reverse or wrong reading, but by known photographic methods the text will be transposed to right reading for the printing purpose contemplated.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic view in perspective of a simplified apparatus illustrating the practice of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a type element of conventional alloy composition and configuration as commonly produced and used in the industry;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing a first stage in the production of the novel character bearing matrix element provided by the invention;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the novel matrix element in its completed form and condition;

Figure 5 is a plan view of an arcuate arrangement of matrices made readily possible by the invention;

Figure 6 is a similar view showing a variant in typographical arrangement; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a sheet to which textual matter has been applied by my improved process in several different specimen point sizes, through photographic enlargement or reduction.

In most prior systems of photographically preparing display typography, the character bearing elements, whether in the form of automatically settable matrices, placards, wooden blocks, or the like, have been confined in the machines, clamped in sticks or otherwise secured to vertical holders similar to the copy boards used in process camera work, and naturally the versatility of the composition has been limited. By means of the present invention the character bearing elements or matrices to be photographed are preferably disposed face upward upon a horizontal board as suggested in the diagrammatic view of Figure 1. In that figure the base or board 10 is arranged in horizontal position and the several character bearing matrices 12 are disposed upon the board 10 in such an alignment as to accomplish the desired composition. Then by the use of a camera 15 of any suitable construction, the display arrangement is photographed onto film which can be either directly transferred to a printing element or combined with solid text or pictorial matter and then transferred to the appropriate member of a printing press.

One of the most important novel features of the present invention is the production of the photo-matrices 12. As a basis there is employed a cast type 12a shown in Figure 2 of the drawings and being of conventional configuration having the usual nick 17 therein and the character embossed in letter press fashion as at 20, the type face, counter, shoulder and other familiar portions being readily recognizable. It is rather desirable for the purposes of the production of display material that the matrices 12 be of fairly large point size, although, for reasons developed below, they need not be of the largest size contemplated for the resulting composition,

Next, the character bearing end of the type 12a is given a coating of a hard durable metal, preferably chromium. It is of course necessary that the type face of the character embossment 20 be thus coated, and it is also desirable that the entire upper end of the type be covered with a thin coating of this metal even in the relieved or depressed portions including the counter and shoulder portions. The plating of chromium at the upper end of the matrix is indicated at 25. The coating of chromium may best be applied by electroplating methods.

Next there is applied to the upper end of the type 12a a mass of plastic material 30 of a dull black coloration. It has been found that the chromium surface is of a compatible nature which readily receives the plastic, the latter adhering very well to the chromium surface Whether within the counter portions or interstices of the character configuration or upon the flat depressed shoulder surface of the type body. The adhering plastic is squared off as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing with the upper surface of the plastic flush with the type face 20 of the delineated character.

The type face 20 is preferably not polished or buffed but allowed to remain in relatively dull aspect as deposited. This dull chromium surface has been found to best difiuse the light and give an even reflection of the illumination during the photographing process. The dull black surface of the plastic also enhances the photographic image obtained and is much more desirable than a glossy black surface.

Since the matrices 12 do not have to be clamped into position upon the supporting surface but are merely placed face upwardly upon the surface without lateral support, any desirable configuration of display may be effected as, for example, the arched or arcuate arrangement shown at 35 in Figure 5, or the diagonal arrangement depicted at 36 in Figure 6. Obviously, any other arrangement or random positioning of the elements 12 may be effected, limited only by the imagination of the compositor and the suitability of the arrangement for the display desired.

Through well-known photographic enlarging and reducing methods, any desired point size of display material may be produced, certain variations in size which have 4 been effected photographically being suggested at 40, 41 and 42 on the sheet 45, in Figure 7 of the drawings. For example, if the basic type 12a employed in 36 point, it would be photographed and reproduced without size change as suggested at 41 in Figure 7, and by suitable enlargement the type size could be increased to 48 point as suggested at 40 or reduced to 30 point as suggested at 42.

It is understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. For use as a photo-matrix in a photo-composing system of the class described, a movable self-supporting character bearing element comprising a conventional hotmetal letter-press type cast from common type-metal alloy, a coating of hard metal upon the type face, a dark colored filler material permanently applied to the relieved portions of the type body including the counter and shoulder portions thereof.

2. For use as a photo-matrix in a photo-composing system of the class described, a movable self-supporting character bearing element comprising a conventional hot-metal letter-press type cast from common type-metal alloy, a. coating of chromium of dull luster electro-deposited upon the impression end of the type body includin the type face, a plastic filler material of dull black surface aspect permanently applied to the relieved portions of the coated end of the type body including the counter and shoulder portions thereof, and having its outer surface flush with the type face.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

